Kevin Smyth

Kevin retired as a solicitor in 2019 having been variously a Director, Senior Partner and Head of Litigation of his firm. Since then, he has been a full-time mediator with over 27 years’ experience. He has conducted over 175 mediations in cases relating to a wide variety of disputes and industries, 80% or so of which have resulted in a settlement being reached. Kevin has mediated cases concerning mainly clinical and other professional negligence, personal injury, disputed wills and other contentious probate disputes including Inheritance (Provision for Family & Dependants) Act claims, shareholder and partnership disputes, insurance, employment (including workplace mediations for which he is CEDR-Accredited and trained to conduct), discrimination, many different types of commercial and personal disputes as well as those relating to financial provision following separation/divorce. Throughout his career as a solicitor, Kevin practised solely as a civil litigation lawyer; for much of it in the professional negligence and clinical negligence/personal injury arenas. In the case of the latter, he successfully prosecuted several multi-million £ clinical negligence claims that resulted in awards of significant damages. Kevin is also a highly experienced practitioner of independent chairing in the public and private sectors. He has chaired numerous appeal hearings of the Legal Aid Agency’s National Special Review Controls Panel as well as its Funding Review Committees. He has also chaired meetings related to employment and workplace issues and was the Chairman of the Board of Governors of a well-known large independent secondary school for six years.